Apple reportedly hard at work on serious Apple TV update

Since its introduction in 2007, the Apple TV has languished as a "hobby" device for Apple and hasn't been significantly revised since. Sure, there have been a few minor tweaks to the software or user interface, but Apple has failed to make Apple TV a successful set-top box with wide appeal. Sources speaking to The New York Times now suggest that big changes are brewing inside Apple, backed by a number of designers with experience in the television industry.

First, Apple is reportedly working on a major update to the software that runs the Apple TV, which may be based on iOS. No details about the hardware are known, but it would make perfect sense for Apple to build it around an A4 variant and utilize iOS, which is already optimized for small devices and media consumption.

Such a plan falls in line with previous rumors that Apple would ditch the internal hard drive for a streaming-only design, likely utilizing expertise from Apple's recent Lala acquisition. iOS could also make it possible for services like Netflix or Hulu to build Apple TV "apps" that add additional sources of content outside of Apple's own iTunes Store. And we may yet see the fruits of Apple's efforts to offer an iTunes-based TV subscription service.

The most interesting detail from the report concerns the staff that Apple has working on the project. A recently departed Apple employee told the Times that the "more advanced work" on the project is taking place outside of the Apple TV group. Another source said that Apple recently hired a number of UI and graphics people "who have a background in broadcast design for television."

The Apple TV has been a "hobby" for far too long and, at this point, even dedicated fans are beginning to lose interest. If Apple cares about the set-top box market, it needs to get serious about competing with the likes of the Roku Player, Internet-connected Blu-ray players, and consoles that increasingly offer expandable connectivity to online sources for TV and movies.